Ball of Wax 33 Songs: Gibraltar – “Gibraltar”

Seattle’s own Gibraltar brings the dark, clangy pop with their contribution to Ball of Wax 33. The song, also named “Gibraltar,” is moody, tightly wound and reminiscent of bands like the Afghan Whigs and Clinic. There’s some cool, percussive piano that carries “Gibraltar” that adds to the tension of Aaron Starkey’s pinched, Thurston Moore-ish vocals. The refrain “you shouldn’t take these words too far” reads like advice but sounds like a warning. It’s a dramatic, and impressively well-produced, track. Praised by the likes of John Richards at KEXP and the Seattle Weekly, Gibraltar is making their first appearance on the old Ball of Wax, and a welcome one at that. If you can somehow bend the space/time continuum, definitely check them out back in June at the Lo Fi with local luminaries Ever So Android, Jupe Jupe and Black Nite Crash. If not, like them on Facebook and dig them on Ball of Wax 33.